Crown corporation workers at DirectWest vote to strike

REGINA—Workers at DirectWest have voted to strike if necessary, as the list of strike mandates at Crown corporations continues to grow.

“Crown workers are sending a strong message to Premier Scott Moe: if a 2.3 per cent increase is good enough for MLAs, it’s good enough for public employees,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.

SaskTel and SecurTek workers voted in favour of a strike earlier this month. Workers at seven Crowns have expired collective agreements.

Saskatchewan legislators, who make more than $100,000 per year, recently received a 2.3 per cent cost of living increase. Crown corporation workers facing the same rising costs are being offered much less.

DirectWest is a subsidiary of SaskTel that produces the telephone directory and digital advertising. The 50 Unifor members employed there are spread across both Regina and Saskatoon. The bargaining committee is seeking improvements to several non-monetary items including the Sales Compensation plan, Performance Improvement Plans as well as fair compensation.

A provincial mediator has been assigned and meetings could take place in August.